[mdyaman]

Does anyone currently have BMWs extended vehicle protection plan w/ either powertrain, gold, or platinum coverages?

Anyone with comments, issues?

been considering purchasing it but wanted some thoughts from the m5 board community :flag:

 

[///Mike M]

It may be worth it because mods such as intake and exhaust cannot void your warranty. As we know tranny and parts of the motor are the most expensive to replace (especially sensors and pumps) so it is advantageous to purchase one. :wroom:

 

[Dexter Morgan]

Does anyone currently have BMWs extended vehicle protection plan w/ either powertrain, gold, or platinum coverages?

Anyone with comments, issues?

been considering purchasing it but wanted some thoughts from the m5 board community :flag:

I just purchased the BMW Powertrain Plus contract today (2/24k). Value for money it is not, as more comprehensive 3rd party contracts are available for longer periods of time for relatively the same money. However, my reasoning was that I didn't want to deal with some of the 3rd party horror stories of things not being covered, hassles in approving claims, labor rates, sleazy reps and so forth. I also wanted to develop a good working relationship with my SA and dealer in general, and what better way than to buy one of these money makers from them! It's backed by BMW, features only a $50 deductible, full roadside assistance and can be financed over 12 mos interest free.

I was out of factory warranty so my only option through BMW was Powertrain Plus. It covers the engine, trans and vanos plus some other bits having to do with the final drive assembly, electrical system and DME - basically driveability issues which is ok with me. My car has been outcast in the eyes of the BMW contract writers due to it's age ('06) but in reality it's practically new (17k).

 

[mdyaman]

I just purchased the BMW Powertrain Plus contract today (2/24k). Value for money it is not, as more comprehensive 3rd party contracts are available for longer periods of time for relatively the same money. However, my reasoning was that I didn't want to deal with some of the 3rd party horror stories of things not being covered, hassles in approving claims, labor rates, sleazy reps and so forth. I also wanted to develop a good working relationship with my SA and dealer in general, and what better way than to buy one of these money makers from them! It's backed by BMW, features only a $50 deductible, full roadside assistance and can be financed over 12 mos interest free.

I was out of factory warranty so my only option through BMW was Powertrain Plus. It covers the engine, trans and vanos plus some other bits having to do with the final drive assembly, electrical system and DME - basically driveability issues which is ok with me. My car has been outcast in the eyes of the BMW contract writers due to it's age ('06) but in reality it's practically new (17k).

thanks Dexter, I was thinking of getting an additional 2 yrs and up to 100K with the platinum coverage (which is $$$$).

Have you actually had to take the car in since for warranty repair and did they give you any arbitrary denials based on what you think was covered? (understand powertrain is limited and is the equivalent of CPO)

 

[Bruce M.]

Dexter, I hope I'm not one of the sleazy reps you're referring to!

Please be careful ///Mike. Mods that are not approved by BMW can and will void your warranty. With a manufacturer, they have to watch out for bad PR, and abide by the Magnuson-Moss act. That law essentially says that for a manufacturer to deny a warranty claim due to a non-approved modification, they have to prove that the modification in question was a direct cause of the warranty repair being submitted/denied.

So you put in a cold air intake with big openings in the filter, a pebble gets in and your motor gets munched, the claim will be denied. But if you put in LED running lights and your A/C stops blowing cold, they have to honor their warranty.

3rd party warranty companies are not bound by this law, because you sign a contract that specifically states that non-approved modifications void the warranty. There is no grey area. That being said, probably 50% of my clients have modded cars, and there are plenty of ways around this particular issue. But it is something to be aware of.

Dexter made a choice that he'd rather have lesser coverage for higher price to eliminate the risk of future claims hassles. It sounds like he weighed it pretty carefully and made the right decvision for him. The key with any extended warranty is getting it from a solid company with a good claims paying reputation. Otherwise the best contract coverage, for the longest term, for the cheapest price, does not matter if they tell you to shove it at claim time.

That's why I only work with two companies, both after I did a LOT of research on them with customers, shops that submit claims, BBB, online research, etc. And with one of them, an auto manufacturer (Audi) did a hell of a lot more due diligences than I could ever do, and selected them for their own dealer network to use when providing extended coverage.

Bruce

 

[mdyaman]

Thanks Bruce M for the insight. I'm having a tough time deciding on what warranty to select.

What i'm finding out is:

3rd Party warranties depend on the relationship w/ the dealer. So if the two don't get along, you can get a claim denied

EasyCare is offered by my service center, but thier rates have increased for M5s (you can imagine why..lol)

My car is all stock, therefor, maybe i should get a BMW backed extended warranty since i don't do mods.

Not sure about Zurich or Fidelity either

I just don't want to get screwed for my money.

Dexter, I hope I'm not one of the sleazy reps you're referring to!

Please be careful ///Mike. Mods that are not approved by BMW can and will void your warranty. With a manufacturer, they have to watch out for bad PR, and abide by the Magnuson-Moss act. That law essentially says that for a manufacturer to deny a warranty claim due to a non-approved modification, they have to prove that the modification in question was a direct cause of the warranty repair being submitted/denied.

So you put in a cold air intake with big openings in the filter, a pebble gets in and your motor gets munched, the claim will be denied. But if you put in LED running lights and your A/C stops blowing cold, they have to honor their warranty.

3rd party warranty companies are not bound by this law, because you sign a contract that specifically states that non-approved modifications void the warranty. There is no grey area. That being said, probably 50% of my clients have modded cars, and there are plenty of ways around this particular issue. But it is something to be aware of.

Dexter made a choice that he'd rather have lesser coverage for higher price to eliminate the risk of future claims hassles. It sounds like he weighed it pretty carefully and made the right decvision for him. The key with any extended warranty is getting it from a solid company with a good claims paying reputation. Otherwise the best contract coverage, for the longest term, for the cheapest price, does not matter if they tell you to shove it at claim time.

That's why I only work with two companies, both after I did a LOT of research on them with customers, shops that submit claims, BBB, online research, etc. And with one of them, an auto manufacturer (Audi) did a hell of a lot more due diligences than I could ever do, and selected them for their own dealer network to use when providing extended coverage.

Bruce

 

[Dexter Morgan]

Dexter, I hope I'm not one of the sleazy reps you're referring to!

Please be careful ///Mike. Mods that are not approved by BMW can and will void your warranty. With a manufacturer, they have to watch out for bad PR, and abide by the Magnuson-Moss act. That law essentially says that for a manufacturer to deny a warranty claim due to a non-approved modification, they have to prove that the modification in question was a direct cause of the warranty repair being submitted/denied.

So you put in a cold air intake with big openings in the filter, a pebble gets in and your motor gets munched, the claim will be denied. But if you put in LED running lights and your A/C stops blowing cold, they have to honor their warranty.

3rd party warranty companies are not bound by this law, because you sign a contract that specifically states that non-approved modifications void the warranty. There is no grey area. That being said, probably 50% of my clients have modded cars, and there are plenty of ways around this particular issue. But it is something to be aware of.

Dexter made a choice that he'd rather have lesser coverage for higher price to eliminate the risk of future claims hassles. It sounds like he weighed it pretty carefully and made the right decvision for him. The key with any extended warranty is getting it from a solid company with a good claims paying reputation. Otherwise the best contract coverage, for the longest term, for the cheapest price, does not matter if they tell you to shove it at claim time.

That's why I only work with two companies, both after I did a LOT of research on them with customers, shops that submit claims, BBB, online research, etc. And with one of them, an auto manufacturer (Audi) did a hell of a lot more due diligences than I could ever do, and selected them for their own dealer network to use when providing extended coverage.

Bruce

No not at all Bruce - that would be more along the lines of a company like AA Auto Protection. You are offering a great service for members of this and other boards and are upfront and honest about what you are selling. You are one of the exceptions to the rule in the world of extended service contracts. It's a case of one bad apple spoiling the bunch sometimes.

Figuring my mileage, how often I drive, and how long I keep my cars, I just did the BMW thing. Also politically (though I'm NOT relying on this) my dealer should be appreciative of choosing to go with them and we can hopefully see more 'eye to eye' when something is going to be covered.

 

[Bruce M.]

It's more about the SA at the dealership than the person at BMW corporate or the 3rd party warranty company. If the SA does not write things up as warranty coverage according to the contract you have, whether BMW or 3rd party, then you have an uphill battle.

Most SA's work with a lot of different warranty companies and know the drill. I guess one could be 'out to get you' and make your life difficult, but that's rare.

On the BMW or warranty company side, someone has to approve claims, although the BMW guidelines are known at the dealership so they do not have to call and request approval, they know what will be covered or not. Since each 3rd party contract is different, and requires advanced approval, they have to call, so there is more risk.

But I have over 800 people with Fidelity, for example, and I see TONS of claims. Especially because I use Fidelity for semi exotics (Audi S/RS, BMW M, MB AMG, Porsche, etc) so they are not exactly Honda Civis when it comes to reliability. They pay claims at dealerships, period. Is there occasionally some haggling that goes on? Sure there is, but rarely do you as the customer ever know about it. It's usually dealer and Fidelity agreeing on 5 hours of labor when dealer wanted 6 and Fidelity wanted to pay for 4.

But look at it this way. If you pay $2K for BMW powertrain for two years, and $4K for Fidelity Platinum for 4 years, you know your starting math (I'm using numbers I grabbed out of thin air). Let's assume both pay a valve cover gasket claim. Let's assume Fidelity denies a seat heater claim and you have to reach into your pocket for $850. You're even further ahead with BMW, total of $2850.

But then let's assume the iDrive screen dies. That's a $2500 repair covered by Fidelity. Now you're $350 ahead. And a window regulator fails, now you're in the red for $500. And ANYTHING at all that breaks between years 2 and 4, you're going to thousands ahead with Fidelity. IF they pay claims, which they 99.9% of the time do.

Bruce

 

[///Mike M]

Ok,

Please be careful ///Mike. Mods that are not approved by BMW can and will void your warranty. With a manufacturer, they have to watch out for bad PR, and abide by the Magnuson-Moss act. That law essentially says that for a manufacturer to deny a warranty claim due to a non-approved modification, they have to prove that the modification in question was a direct cause of the warranty repair being submitted/denied.

So you put in a cold air intake with big openings in the filter, a pebble gets in and your motor gets munched, the claim will be denied. But if you put in LED running lights and your A/C stops blowing cold, they have to honor their warranty.

3rd party warranty companies are not bound by this law, because you sign a contract that specifically states that non-approved modifications void the warranty. There is no grey area. That being said, probably 50% of my clients have modded cars, and there are plenty of ways around this particular issue. But it is something to be aware of.

I see what you are saying, and it makes perfect sense. However, is that just a 3rd party insurance disclaimer? (I've never had a 3rd party warranty so I am clueless about the details they bestow). Because according to tech knowledge at the dealership, intake and exhaust mods won't void powertrain and other warrantied items on the motor (i.e. camshaft solenoids), but that is BMW's warranty, so there are differences of course. yawnnnn

-MM

 

[Bruce M.]

What your tech told you is not 'official'. It might be his experience, his BMW dealership's experience, or maybe even BMW's unofficial or official position on warranty claims to their dealer base about intake and exhaust mods. So in practice, he might be right.

But the law gives BMW the right to deny warranty coverage on a claim where a non-approved modification has caused the damage. They may choose, for PR or other reasons, not to exercise that right, but they have it nonetheless.

The law certainly does not carve out intake or exhaust mods when it comes to denying warranty coverage. It just says if they are going to deny a claim due to a mod, the mod has to have been non-approved and the reason for the claim.

And yes, that clause is in 3rd party contracts. It gets complicated legally, because when you buy a new car, you get a warranty, which is a specific set of remedies, fitness for a particular purpose, consequential damage allowances, etc. A 3rd party extended warranty is not a warranty in the true legal meaning of the word warranty. It is mechanical and electrical breakdown insurance. So you are signing an insurance contract. Although everyone refers to them as warranties, and in practical use they accomplish the same purpose, legally they are not the same thing as a warranty.

Bruce

 

[///Mike M]

Thanks for clearing that up, I see what you are saying, however does it apply to tinted windows? Are tints considered "mods"? A friend of mine had tints and his window broke (regulator IIRC) and they wouldnt cover it because the dealership blamed it on the tint messing it up... or some nonsense like that lol. I thought I was done after the mods I have, but have never encountered an issue thus far... thank the Lord. :cheers:

-MM

 

[Bruce M.]

That sounds pretty ridiculous to me. The dealer is not the final arbiter on warranty issues. They can say they don't want to SUBMIT it as a warranty claim, but that does not mean they are right, and they do not have decision making power on what is or isn't covered. An owner always can escalate to BMW NA and/or zone manager that can make actual decisions on behalf of BMW.

But if someone could prove the tint did actually cause the reg failure (it peeled, got stuck, caused reg to burn itself out, etc) then they could legitimately deny the claim. At surface, sounds like dealer was being greedy and trying to get paid retail rate instead of warranty reimbursement rate for window regulator job.

Bruce

 

[///Mike M]

True,

But if someone could prove the tint did actually cause the reg failure (it peeled, got stuck, caused reg to burn itself out, etc) then they could legitimately deny the claim. At surface, sounds like dealer was being greedy and trying to get paid retail rate instead of warranty reimbursement rate for window regulator job.

Yes, however he bought the car at the dealership and the car had tint on it when purchased. How does that change the situation?

 

[Bruce M.]

Just makes the dealer sound slimier. If it went to court, it's a toss up.....guy could claim dealer sold it that way and should have removed anything prior to purchase that would void warranty. Dealer would claim it's not up to them to remove, as long as car was legal and would pass inspection that's their only responsibility.

Small claims judge would likely side with customer, if he bought it that way and could prove it, he'd make dealer pay the one claim and then say customer now had full responsibility for making car warranty-compliant.

But what do I know, I'm just a slimy dealer too!

 

[mdyaman]

So back on topic,

Anyone else have BMWs extended protection plan (powertrain, gold, platinum plans) and have any experience?

 

[///Mike M]

Thanks, Bruce.

mdyaman, I digress, sorry yawnnnn

 

[mdyaman]

Thanks, Bruce.

mdyaman, I digress, sorry yawnnnn

no prob...Bruce M puts out good advice

 

[mdyaman]

bump for anyone w/ experience w/ BMWs extended vehicle protection plans

 

[tmiked]

All of the BMW plans lock you into a BMW dealer instead of an honest repair facility.

 

[Bruce M.]

All of the BMW plans lock you into a BMW dealer instead of an honest repair facility.

Too funny.

But that's OK as long as they are doing the repairs for free under warranty isn't it? Or are you saying they find way to charge you or find other stuff wrong that's not covered? Or botch the repairs?

Bruce